Bananamour

Bananamour is the fourth studio album by Kevin Ayers and it featured some of his most accessible recordings, including "Shouting in a Bucket Blues" and his whimsical tribute to Syd Barrett, "Oh! Wot A Dream". After Whatevershebringswesing, Ayers assembled a new band anchored by drummer Eddie Sparrow and bassist Archie Legget and employed a more direct lyricism. The centrepiece of the album is "Decadence", his withering portrait of Nico: "Watch her out there on display / Dancing in her sleepy way / While all her visions start to play / On the icicles of our decay / And all along the desert shore / She wanders further evermore / The only thing that's left to try / She says to live I have to die." The song was later covered by the Australian psychedelic rock band The Church on their 1999 album A Box of Birds. The album was remastered to vinyl (no bonus tracks) in gatefold packaging in 2025; distributed by Esoteric Recordings.

The album marked the end of Ayers' first Harvest Records series.

Track listing

All songs written by Kevin Ayers

Personnel

Musicians

• Kevin Ayers – guitar, vocals
• Archie Legget – bass, harmony vocals, lead vocal (track 3)
• Eddie Sparrow – drums

Additional musicians

• Steve Hillage – lead guitar (track 2, track 6)
• Mike Ratledge – organ (track 4)
• Robert Wyatt – harmony vocal (track 8)
• David Bedford – orchestral arrangement (track 9)
• Howie Casey – tenor saxophone
• Dave Caswell – trumpet
• Tristan Fry – cymbal
• Lyle Jenkins – baritone saxophone
• Ronnie Price – piano
• Barry St. John, Liza Strike, Doris Troy – backing vocals

Technical

• Kevin Ayers – producer
• Andrew King – producer
• John Kurlander – engineer
• Bob Lawrie – cover art
• Richard Imrie – photography

References

• Original LP sleevenotes

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